How to set up
Create shipping discount rules that automatically reduce or eliminate shipping costs at checkout. Offer free shipping, a fixed amount off, or a percentage off — triggered automatically by conditions or redeemed with a discount code.
Available on all Shopify plans. Shipping Discount uses Shopify Discount Functions — no Shopify Plus required.
What it does
Shipping Discount lets you create rules that reduce shipping costs for your buyers at checkout:
Free shipping — remove shipping charges entirely
Fixed amount off — reduce shipping by a specific dollar amount (e.g., $5 off)
Percentage off — reduce shipping by a percentage (e.g., 50% off)
Each rule can be triggered automatically when conditions are met, or require the buyer to enter a discount code at checkout.
Step 1: Go to Checkout Customizations
In the app sidebar, click Checkout customizations. You'll see the list of all your rules across payment, delivery, and shipping discount types.
List page overview
Tabs
Filter by: All, Delivery method, Payment method, Shipping discount
Search
Find rules by name
Table
Shows rule name, type (badge), status, created date, and actions
Actions
Activate/Deactivate, Edit, Delete for each rule
Bulk actions
Select multiple rules to activate, deactivate, or delete
Step 2: Create a shipping discount rule
Click Create rule (top right)
On the Rule Type Selection page, select Shipping discount
The editor opens with a two-column layout:
Left column (~35%) — Section labels and descriptions
Right column (~65%) — Form fields and settings
The editor has three sections: General Settings, Trigger Conditions, and Discount.
Step 3: Configure general settings
Rule name
Enter a descriptive name for your reference (e.g., "Free shipping over $75"). Maximum 50 characters.
Discount combinations
Control whether this shipping discount can be combined with other active discounts:
Order discounts
Allow this rule to stack with order-level discounts (checked by default)
Product discounts
Allow this rule to stack with product-level discounts (checked by default)
Tip: Keep both options checked unless you have a specific reason to prevent stacking. This gives buyers the best experience when multiple promotions are active.
Trigger method
Choose how the discount is applied:
Automatically
Discount applies whenever trigger conditions are met — no action required from the buyer (default)
With a discount code
Buyer must enter a discount code at checkout to activate the discount
The trigger method cannot be changed after saving. Once you save a rule as "Automatically" or "With a discount code", this setting is locked. If you need a different trigger method, create a new rule.
Discount code settings (code trigger only)
When you select With a discount code, additional fields appear:
Discount code
The code buyers enter at checkout (e.g., "FREESHIP2026")
Usage limit
Check to set a maximum number of times the code can be used across all customers
One use per customer
Check to limit each customer to a single use of this code
Step 4: Configure trigger conditions
Trigger conditions control when the shipping discount applies. By default, the discount applies to all orders.
Two modes
No condition
Discount applies to all orders
Set conditions
Discount only applies when all conditions are satisfied (AND logic)
Available condition types
When you select Set conditions, a condition builder appears. Click "+ Add 'AND' condition" to add rows.
Product
Contains / Does not contain
Cart contains "Summer Collection" items → free shipping
Total cart value
Greater than / Less than
Cart total > $75 → free shipping
Customer tag
Has tag / Does not have tag
Customer tagged "VIP" → 50% off shipping
All conditions use AND logic — every condition must be true for the discount to apply. For example: "Cart total > $75" AND "Cart contains Product A" means both must be satisfied.
Step 5: Configure the discount
This section defines what discount buyers receive on shipping.
Discount label
Enter the text buyers will see at checkout next to the discount (e.g., "Free Shipping Promotion"). Maximum 50 characters. This label appears in the order summary as a tag below the shipping line.
Discount type
Free shipping
Removes all shipping charges
No value input needed
Fixed amount off
Reduces shipping by a specific amount
Number input with currency suffix (e.g., "$5.00")
Percentage off
Reduces shipping by a percentage
Number input with % suffix (maximum 100%)
Currency conversion (Fixed amount off only)
When using Fixed amount off, two additional settings appear:
Convert to cart currency
Automatically convert the discount amount to the buyer's local currency. Recommended for multi-currency stores.
Conversion behavior
How to handle conversion rounding: Don't round up / Round up to nearest / Round to nearest
Tip: Enable Convert to cart currency if your store sells in multiple currencies. This ensures the discount amount is correctly applied regardless of the buyer's currency.
Step 6: Configure shipping method targeting
Choose which shipping methods the discount applies to.
Apply to all shipping methods
The discount applies to every available shipping method (default)
Apply to only specific methods
The discount applies only to methods matching your criteria
When you select Apply to only specific methods, a table appears where you can define matching rules:
Operator
How to match: Contains, Does not contain, Is, Is not
Value
The text to match against shipping method names
Click Add to add more matching rules. Click the trash icon to remove a row.
Example: To offer free shipping only on standard methods, set the operator to Contains and the value to "Standard". This matches any shipping method with "Standard" in its name.
Step 7: Save and activate
Review all settings
Click Save in the top bar
The discount takes effect at checkout immediately after saving.
What buyers see at checkout
Automatic discounts
When an automatic shipping discount applies:
Shipping method line: The original shipping price appears crossed out, with the discounted price shown next to it. If the discount covers the full cost, it shows "FREE"
Order summary: The original shipping cost is crossed out with the new price displayed. Below the shipping line, the discount label appears as a tag with an icon
Total savings: A line at the bottom of the order summary shows the total amount saved
Discount code
When a buyer has a discount code:
The buyer enters the code in the "Discount code or gift card" field at checkout
Clicks Apply
The shipping prices update to reflect the discount
The discount label tag appears in the order summary
Manage existing rules
Toggle status
Use the Pause / Start action on any rule to quickly toggle its status without opening the editor.
Edit a rule
Click the edit icon (pencil) in the Actions column, or click the rule name to open the editor.
Delete rules
Single rule: Click the delete icon (trash) in the Actions column
Bulk delete: Select multiple rules with checkboxes → click Delete rules
Other bulk actions: Activate rules, Deactivate rules.
Deletion is permanent. The rule cannot be recovered.
Tips
Keep discount labels clear — buyers see this text at checkout. "Free Shipping on Orders Over $75" is more helpful than "Shipping Promo"
Use conditions for automatic discounts — without conditions, the discount applies to every order. Set a cart value threshold to protect your margins
Target specific methods when you only want to discount certain shipping tiers (e.g., free standard shipping but not express)
Enable currency conversion for fixed amount discounts if you sell in multiple currencies
Keep rule names descriptive — "Free shipping over $75" is better than "Shipping rule #1"
Monitor the 25-rule limit — Shopify allows up to 25 active automatic discounts at once. You'll see a warning banner when approaching this limit
FAQs
General
Q: Do I need Shopify Plus for Shipping Discount? A: No. Shipping Discount uses Shopify Discount Functions, which are available on all Shopify plans.
Q: How many shipping discount rules can I have? A: You can have up to 25 active automatic discounts at once. This limit is shared across all automatic discount types in Shopify.
Q: Can I change the trigger method after saving? A: No. The trigger method (Automatic or With a discount code) is locked after the first save. If you need a different trigger method, create a new rule.
Q: Does the discount take effect immediately? A: Yes. Once saved, the discount applies to all new checkouts immediately.
Discount behavior
Q: What happens if the discount is larger than the shipping cost? A: Shipping is reduced to $0 — it never goes negative. For example, a $10 fixed discount on $7 shipping results in $0 shipping, not -$3.
Q: What happens when multiple shipping discounts qualify? A: Shopify automatically applies the highest-value discount for the buyer. The buyer always gets the best deal.
Q: Can shipping discounts stack with product or order discounts? A: Yes, if the Discount combinations checkboxes are enabled. By default, both "Order discounts" and "Product discounts" are checked, allowing stacking.
Trigger conditions
Q: What happens if I set no conditions on an automatic discount? A: The discount applies to every order at checkout — all buyers receive the shipping discount automatically.
Q: Can I combine multiple conditions? A: Yes. Add multiple conditions with AND logic — all must be true for the discount to apply.
Q: Does "Product" condition check variants? A: It checks at the product level. If any variant of the selected product is in the cart, the condition is met.
Discount codes
Q: Where do buyers enter the discount code? A: In the "Discount code or gift card" field on the checkout page. After entering the code, they click Apply to activate the discount.
Q: Can I set a usage limit on discount codes? A: Yes. Enable the Usage limit checkbox and enter the maximum number of uses. You can also check One use per customer to prevent repeat usage by the same buyer.
Q: Can a buyer use multiple discount codes? A: Shopify allows only one discount code per checkout. If a buyer enters a new code, it replaces the previous one.
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